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Review By: Sean Reid
Photos by: Sean Reid & Bruce Snell

Olympus E-1, Zuiko 14-54, ISO 400,  1/500@ F/8, Existing Light   Photo by Sean Reid
The Olympus E-1 has been out since 2003 and many in-depth reviews have been written that examine both its features and file quality.  Those aspects being well known, then, my focus for thissecond opinionreview is primarily on answering two questions:
 

How well has the E-1 performed as a professional tool?
Considering that there are so many good DSLRs available right now, most with more than 5 MP resolution, why would one choose the E-1 over the other options?

Let me take the second question first.  Three things stand out for me about this camera.
First, the E-1 is the quietest DSLR Iâ��ve ever used, on par with a rangefinder such as the Leica M7.  The sound is of a lower pitch and longer duration than the Leica but it is equally discreet.  Does this quality matter?  It depends ...

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Sean Reid has been a commercial and fine art photographer for more than thirty years. He studied photography at Bard College under Stephen Shore and Ben Lifson. In the late 1980s he worked as an exhibition printer for Wendy Ewald and other fine art photographers. In 1989, he was the first American photographer to receive an artist-in-residence grant from the Irish Arts Council in Dublin, Ireland and his work is held in their collection. That same year he gave a guest lecture at Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art in Dublin. In the early 1990s Sean met occasionally with Helen Levitt to discuss and edit pictures he was making in the subways of Budapest and New York City. These were exhibited in New York in conjunction with performances by Jens Nygaard's Jupiter Symphony. Sean's work for clients is often of weddings and architecture. His editorial work has appeared in magazines such as Motorcyclist, Rider and The Robb Report. His personal work is primarily of people in public places -- especially in rural New England where he resides. In 2004, Sean began reviewing cameras and lenses for Luminous Landscape. The following year he began Reid Reviews (link: www.reidreviews.com), a site -- of equipment reviews and essays on photography -- that accepts no advertising and is paid for entirely by subscribers. Written primarily for professional and serious amateur photographers the site has become known for its in-depth analysis based on both field and studio testing. Sean also serves as an unpaid consultant, advisor and sometimes beta tester for several camera and lens manufacturers. http://www.reidreviews.com
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